PRACTICAL TRAINING NEEDS OF TEACHERS FOR ENABLING HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS TO IDENTIFY AN APPROPRIATE PROBLEM IN DESIGN-BASED INQUIRY LEARNING
Year: 2024
Editor: Grierson, Hilary; Bohemia, Erik; Buck, Lyndon
Author: Shimomura, Moe; Loh, Leon; Zhang, Yanfang; Noriko, Takano
Series: E&PDE
Institution: Kyushu University, Japan
Page(s): 127 - 132
DOI number: 10.35199/EPDE.2024.22
ISBN: 978-1-912254-200
ISSN: 3005-4753
Abstract
In Japan, design is not taught as a subject in the general high school curriculum. However, a new period for inquiry-based cross-disciplinary study was established in high schools under the new curriculum guidelines, which were implemented nationwide in 2022. The process of introducing multidisciplinary inquiry-based learning in high schools is currently underway, although the instructional training and teaching materials available to teachers are far from adequate. Japanese public high school teachers collaborated with the SDGs Design School, Faculty of Design, Kyushu University to co-design inquiry-based learning materials. These materials, which have been implemented in a school since 2019, take the form of a booklet of worksheets in which students describe discussions in which they have been involved, as well as their ideas and research findings. They are intended to guide students’ self-learning and help them think about the social issues around them and seek solutions to those issues. This study examined the introduction of these materials during the period for inquiry-based cross-disciplinary study in a general high school in the context of the SDGs Challenge Project. The study was conducted in 2023, and all 300 third-year students in the school participated. It was intended as part of a broader investigation into how to implement design-based skills for multidisciplinary inquiry-based learning in Japanese high schools. The research question was: “What knowledge do teachers need in order to conduct design-based inquiry learning?” To answer this question, it was necessary to first identify which design processes are generally difficult for students and teachers unfamiliar with design education. Secondly, we examined what knowledge needs the teachers had for this process. After the SDGs Challenge Project, a questionnaire survey of the 300 participating students was conducted. The participants were asked to identify the most difficult process used in the program and to give reasons for this. The 23 teachers who conducted the classes were also surveyed and asked which processes were most difficult to teach, why they were difficult to teach, and how they thought these difficulties could be overcome. 298 students and 10 teachers responded to the survey. In order of descending frequency, the processes identified as difficult by the students were: sharing problems, ideation, and improvement of ideas. The processes identified by the teachers were: exploration of problems in our daily lives, sharing problems, and ideation. Both sets of respondents identified sharing problems and ideation as particularly difficult processes. The teachers’ responses to open-ended questions regarding reasons and possible solutions were categorised using thematic analysis. Sharing problems was reported to be difficult because the teachers were not sure how to guide students in developing empathy regarding issues with which they had no experience. The possible solution was to share best practices to understand how the problems could be studied in depth. The ideation process was identified as difficult because the teachers did not know how to guide students’ ideas when they were abstract and lacked detailed specifications. The solution identified was to learn practical design methods for guiding ideas and detailed instructions.
Keywords: Design education, design process, SDGs, Japan, high school